daysthree weeks away from the start of the next round of Blake Hell Road, the 20-week long roadworks which will – it feels fair to say – bring chaos to Aldersbrook and beyond.
The replacement of the “gas governor” – the gas main beneath the road – is the cause of the disruption, but it’s the management of traffic which causes as much frustration as cars, buses and other traffic attempts to enter or leave the junction with Cambridge Park.
National Grid, which is replacing the main, has agreed working hours with Redbridge Council, which are Monday – Friday 7.30am to 6pm, and on Saturday 8am-4pm. There will be no major work on Sundays or overnight.
The work will include
- Three-way temporary traffic lights being introduced at the junction of Blake Hall Road, Bush Road and Overton Drive for at least eight weeks.
- Overton Drive itself being closed at the junction of Blake Hall Road from the beginning of August for two months, and the width restrictions on the road will be removed to make sure people can reach their houses.
- Tennyson Ave being closed for three weeks in October.
- Felstead Road being closed for three weeks in November.
National Grid is running a drop-in session at Wanstead Library on Tuesday 7 June from 9am to 9pm for people to find out more about the work and to ask questions. Work itself is due to start on 20 June.
And in the meantime, Wansteadium is delighted to introduce a new Twitter account, @blakehellroad, for a “polite and acccurate” record of the work and the disruption caused. It will be featured on the front page of Wansteadium from today.
So, every other friend I have in Aldersbrook is a builder. How difficult can it be to erect a monorail across Wanstead Park? @blakehellroad
— Martin (@MartinTalbot) May 25, 2016